Hyderabad, Oct 19 (PTI) Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar and BRS leaders on Saturday held protests to express solidarity with aspirants of TSPSC Group 1 services, who are seeking postponement of the Mains exam, even as Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy urged the students to appear for the test without any misconceptions.
Sanjay Kumar, Union Minister of State for Home, took out a ‘Chalo Secretariat’ rally after meeting the aspirants at Ashok Nagar here, the hub of coaching institutions for civil services and others in the city.
Amid sloganeering by aspirants against the Congress government, Sanjay Kumar squatted on the ground in support of the former. The aspirants shared their grievances with the Union Minister.
Accompanied by a large number of youth, he took out ‘Chalo Secretariat’ rally to meet the Chief Minister and apprise him of their concerns.
Sanjay Kumar was, however, stopped by police following which he briefly addressed the aspirants standing atop a vehicle.
Kumar was bundled into a police vehicle and driven away. But, he later staged a dharna at the Ambedkar statue near the Secretariat.
The police shifted the MP to the state BJP headquarters.
Speaking to reporters, he claimed that the aspirants fear that a Government Order (GO) number 29 issued by the Congress government several months ago is a conspiracy to abolish reservations in the state in future.
The CM should make the government’s stance on reservations clear. The aspirants only want rescheduling of the exam, to be held from October 21 to 27, due to various reasons, including several cases concerning the test pending in courts, he said.
Kumar sought to know why Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who met the job aspirants in the city ahead of assembly elections last year, is silent now.
BRS claimed that its leaders, including MLA Muta Gopal, were taken into custody by police when they marched towards the Secretariat in solidarity with the aspirants.
Addressing an event on Saturday evening, Revanth Reddy said Group 1 service appointments have not been made since the formation of Telangana in 2014.
The government has released notification for the Group 1 exam in February this year by issuing GO 29 (which also deals with reservations) deciding to entertain 50 candidates for filling up each post, he noted.
He found fault with the opposition parties for their demand to conduct the exam as per 1:100 ratio even as the recruitment process was underway.
Changing the rules of notification halfway would lead to legal wrangles, he cautioned.
The CM pointed out that his government is safeguarding the interests of SC,ST and BCs.
In a veiled attack on the BRS, Reddy alleged that the opposition party now invited the aspirants to its office but it never gave them an audience while in power.
He also said that those who approached the High Court challenging GO 29 did not get any relief.
Noting that 95 per cent of candidates have already downloaded their hall tickets, he said the remaining four-five per cent should also appear for the exam beginning on Monday.
He urged the aspirants not to fall in the trap of BRS.
Earlier, pointing to the High Court nod to conduct the exam, state DGP Jitender said the candidates can air their grievances democratically but should not cause inconvenience to public.
The aspirants, who held protests for the last several days, voiced their concerns over the schedule of the exam and the impact of GO 29 on the recruitment process and reservation.
The police on Friday caned the Group 1 aspirants, who held protests here seeking postponement of the Mains exam, scheduled to be held from October 21 to 27. PTI SJR GDK VVK SJR ROH
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